Amidst midweek action across the English Football League, four West Ham United Academy loanees were involved as the race for promotion and survival intensifies...
Completing the full 90 minutes for the second time in just three days, George Earthy once again delivered a Man-of-the-Match-worthy performance to help Bristol City score a huge 2-1 victory against Championship play-off rivals West Bromwich Albion.
Quickly becoming a fan favourite at Ashton Gate for his excellent work-rate, high-energy pressing and creativity, Earthy has cemented his place in the starting line-up as an attacking midfielder.
The 20-year-old came close to opening the scoring himself before Nahki Wells broke the deadlock on 56 minutes with a superb turn and long-range strike. The joy was short lived however as the hosts conceded an equaliser just six minutes later when Cameron Pring and goalkeeper Max O’Leary collided, allowing West Brom's Alex Mowatt to tap home into an empty net.
A Jayson Molumby sending off in the 89th minute encouraged Bristol City to throw everything at their opponents in search of a winner. Capitalising on the one-man advantage, Haydon Roberts scored the winner in the 96th minute with the last kick of the game, sparking wild scenes at Ashton Gate as the Robins moved three points clear in the play-off places.
Further down the table, Freddie Potts played 90 minutes in midfield for Portsmouth away at Coventry City, as they fell 1-0 to a last-minute winner from substitute Jamie Paterson. With relegation rivals Luton Town, Cardiff City, Derby County and Stoke City all earning draws, the gap between Pompey and the drop zone narrows to just three points.
In EFL League One, Gideon Kodua’s Wycombe Wanderers got the better of Callum Marshall’s Huddersfield Town 1-0 to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive. The young Hammers were both deployed as second-half substitutes as Daniel Udoh’s 63rd-minute strike secured maximum points for the Chairboys, keeping them within three points of second-placed Wrexham. On the other hand, the Terriers’ seventh defeat in ten league matches leaves them four points behind Reading in the battle for the final play-off position with just five games remaining.
Finally, in the Vanarama National League, Brad Dolaghan was an unused substitute in Aldershot Town’s first home defeat of the calendar year, a 2-1 loss against Boston United, a result that saw Boston leapfrog Regan Clayton’s Dagenham & Redbridge, who drop into the relegation zone.
